Friends founded boardwalk business 50 years ago; special events planned this summer
OCEAN CITY — In June, business partners Jeff Sherman and Sam Koperwas celebrated 50 years of selling jewelry together at Henry’s Landmark Jeweler.
In fact, appropriately enough, this summer marks their Golden Anniversary.
Sherman, the store’s president and chief diamond buyer, said he and Koperwas would visit Ocean City as children over Independence Day.
“We’d hang out, ride the waves, shoot baskets at 34th Street, play air hockey. It was great,” he said.
They stayed friends and, after getting married, decided with their wives in 1972 to stop visiting the island in the summer and instead move here.
“We pooled together what little money we had [and] rented a store at what had been Hills Brothers Seafood,” Sherman said.
They called it Henry’s after the cigar store Indian that still stands proudly in the shop at 1236 Boardwalk.
It was a perfect union, much like an alloy that is better combined than its individual part.
Koperwas is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America who handles inventory and logistics, while Sherman is a people-person who will remember the names of a couple’s children the next time he sees them.
Over five decades, the friends and their many employees — some who return year after year or work all year — “transformed Henry’s from that tiny, hand-to-mouth two-man boardwalk startup into the landmark shopping experience it is today: a fun and casual way to purchase anything from a Champion ‘Ocean City’ hoodie to a 5-carat diamond tennis bracelet,” he said.
They sell beach-themed pendants starting at $14.99 to diamond pendants topping $1,000, as well as anklets, bracelets, earrings and rings. But it’s not just a jewelry store. They also sell Champion sweatshirts and sweatshirt blankets bearing the name of America’s Greatest Family Resort, as well as home décor such as throw pillows and cosmetic bags with a Down the Shore theme.
“People would say they know Henry’s for its jewelry, while someone else will say we have the nicest sweatshirts on the boardwalk. We try to throw a big net out there,” Koperwas said.
He said the business evolved as its customers evolved.
“We grew with our customers,” Koperwas said. “We figured if we treated people right — being honest, dealing with integrity, offering the absolute best value we could find — we’d earn their trust. And it worked. We and our staff have always kept our focus on that.”
Sherman said the celebration is for “the friends that we’ve made, the generations of families that we’ve come to know and had the privilege to work with.”
“Our customers are such a major part of our lives, as is Ocean City, and every day it’s an out-and-out pleasure to open our doors,” he said.
Sherman said he and Koperwas “bought the building on a handshake” from two brothers, who held the mortgage for 10 years. After a fire in 2002, they demolished the building and built the current one, where they each have a condominium on the second floor.
Some of the employees have worked for him more than 30 years. Mary Ann Fleming has been with him 39 years after stopping in for a repair and striking up a friendship with Sherman.
“They believe in what we do. We have people who work for us who have a lot of integrity and we have integrity. I think in today’s environment, people who work want to feel vested in where they work. They don’t want to work for somebody who they don’t believe in what they do,” Koperwas said.
Sherman said the employees do not work on a commission basis, so there is no pressure to sell. He said they try to foster a nice environment and it pays off.
“We genuinely like the people who work for us,” Sherman said.
Gale Cipaldo, who has been with them for seven years, said she likes everything about working there — citing the wonderful view, nice customers and nice co-workers.
The jewelers enjoy working with families over multiple generations.
“An engagement ring for somebody, then their kids grow up, another engagement ring,” Sherman said.
Henry’s Landmark Jeweler has a second location on the Washington Street Mall in Cape May, where they have been for 45 years.
Sherman and Koperwas, however, work from the Ocean City location and have staff run the Cape May store.
He said the customer demographics are different, with most people shopping in Ocean City living within 150 to 175 miles but those in Cape May visiting from all over the country.
Henry’s has special events and sales planned throughout the summer as a way of thanking loyal customers and the community for their support throughout the decades.
The first event was Rock the Island. The partners placed 50 rocks stamped with “Henry’s 50 yrs!” around the city. Those who found them had a chance to exchange them for a gift certificate from $25 to $250.
Check henrysoc.com or Facebook for upcoming events.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff